England Authority holding off on plans to build new facility, amidst concerns it could hurt private sector venues

Plans for a controversial new community center at England Airpark have been put on hold due to concerns it would take business away from private sector event venues in the area.

The England Authority Board of Commissioners voted at its meeting Thursday to defer moving forward on the $4.6 million project until at least its March meeting, so it can be studied further.

"I think deferring was a smart decision," said Jay Sharplin, owner of the Holiday Inn Downtown. "I look at it like we're in direct competition with this new facility. I'm not against competition at all, but my concern, and the concern of other operators I've talked to, is you're using public money to compete against private money."

England Airpark has a community center, located just off the intersection of Chappie James Avenue and Frank Andrews Boulevard, that is rented for about 55-60 events a year. The board considered plans to renovate the facility — which board member Scott Linzay said is "dilapidated" — before moving forward with plans to demolish it and replace it with a new facility.

"This thing has been there since the '40s," Linzay said. "Anybody who has been in there can see it's an embarrassment."

Linzay said the community center's location on the road to the Alexandria Airport terminal makes it highly visible and could hurt the airpark's image with potential investors.

"We try to make this place as enticing as we can," Linzay said. "This may not be the way, but I do feel like we have to do something."

Board member Joe McPherson argued to defer action so further "homework" can be done, including market and feasibility studies and analyzing any effects on the authority's bonding capacity. On Thursday's agenda was a resolution to give preliminary approval to issue $4.25 million in bonds for the project.

"We've got money to do a whole lot of economic development, but not if we're going to build community centers we don't know are needed," McPherson said. "If we have millions of dollars to spend, is it going to be spent on prettiness and a new community center that's going to hurt these (hotel) folks? Or is it going to be spent on industrial parks? You pick."

"I would ask all of you, if it was your money going into this project, would you write the check?" said Michael Jenkins, owner of the Hotel Bentley. "I would like to know any businessman that would spend $5 million on something that rents 60 times a year."

Board members voted unanimously to defer action on the agenda item until at least the board's March meeting.